A Beautiful Day

I’m so incredibly humbled by our amazing family and friends. The Buddy Walk was a huge success. It was also a reminder of just how blessed we are to have so many people in our life who love Austin. Oh, he is loved…so loved. Our friends and family love him for exactly who he is…a sweet baby. Each and every person that participated in walking for Austin did so because they wanted to be there. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of being around my son, you know that he radiates pure goodness. He has the sweetest disposition. That’s the only way I know how to describe this beautiful angel that God so graciously gave me.

There were 90 teams this year. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. However, NONE of the news stations bothered to cover the annual Buddy Walk. I know anger won’t solve anything, but I can’t help it. This bothers infuriates me. I’ve decided that I’m going to write AND email the news stations…every day if I have to. We will get coverage next year. This may seem extreme to some, but The Buddy Walk is about promoting awareness for Down syndrome and raising money for The Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas. The majority of the population probably doesn’t know that last month was not only Breast Cancer Awareness month, but also Down Syndrome Awareness month. I’m not saying that one if more important than the other, but is it too much to ask for a little coverage?

One of our close family friends said it better than anyone, here’s an excerpt from her email:
…well, actually it really isn’t your little boy who poses more challenges is it? It’s the world around you….the odd questions from people who don’t understand, the way society bunches people together….that’s really what creates the particular challenges that surround you…

No one has ever said it better. It’s so true. My son’s disability is nothing compared to all of the people out there who have no clue of what children and people with Down syndrome are capable of. They are more like “typical” children than different. These are just basic facts, yet it saddens me that most people aren’t even aware of these simple facts. Babies with Down syndrome grow up and attend school, work, go to birthday parties, have friends, graduate high school and some even go on to college. Most of all, they have feelings. And, again, please, tell me WHY the news stations couldn’t bother to cover The Buddy Walk? Why couldn’t the NFL add a little Blue or Gold to all the pink we saw out on the field during the month of October when it’s so obvious the need for awareness is there?

In other news, we had a successful photo shoot at The Dallas Arboretum on Saturday. Austin did so well and he didn’t start to melt down until the very end when he let us know he’d had enough! Our photographer is so genuine and patient. At the same time, she moved from scene to scene very fast because she knows better than anyone that babies can only take so much. The entire photo shoot took about an hour and we had 3 wardrobe changes. Our photographer even commented on how Austin radiates sweetness. She was so good with him. We should get our pictures back in about 2-3 weeks. She said she’ll post a “sneak peak” on her website too. I can’t wait!!

It was a busy, but amazing weekend. I get teary eyed when I think about all the people who genuinely love Austin. We are so blessed.

Blessings,
K